Starcrossed
by MiraiYume
Summary: [AR] Two couples, a past and future intertwined, in an unhappy beginning. An evil that destroyed love attempts to repeat the act. A blossoming love is pulled apart at the seams, and a young girl must choose between potential death or a forbidden affair.
1. Chapter 1: The Loose Thread of Time

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter One**

_Naraku: The Loose Thread of Time_

The figure clothed in white fur shifted ever so slightly. A face, hidden by a baboon mask, watched with keen eyes at the scene in front of him. It suddenly came to the dark hanyou why he had been continuously thwarted by the group in front of him. There was something about two certain figures, some sort of a bond that had never been around another similar couple. Naraku realized what he needed to prevent in order to complete his goal. He turned and faded away, a single thought in his mind.

* * *

Narakuappeared next to a dilapidated castle, crumbling from an eternity of existence. It had taken four days to hunt down the building, but as he walked inside, he knew it had been well worth the wait. The difference could have been between night and day. Inside, candles sent a warm glow over clean rooms, but it was the walls Naraku was interested in. Walls covered with tapestries, telling stories of thousands of generations.

Many people had attempted to find the castle of time, but few succeeded. Those who did manage to find it once were never able to again, and Naraku knew he would have to finish all that he wanted to in this one trip. He set to work upon one specific tapestry, pulling out threads and reworking the pictures, weaving his own dark story.

Before he could completely finish, he sensed the golden guardians of time. The dark hanyou knew he was no match for them, so he left before they managed to find him. He had not completed his final tapestry, but he felt enough had been done that he could complete the last bit himself.

Soon, all would be right within his dark and twisted world.


	2. Chapter 2: The Death of Kikyou

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Two**

_Inuyasha and Kikyou: The Death of Kikyou_

Inuyasha stared at the woman before him. Her eyes held none of the malice he was used too, and a gentle smile graced her lips. The clothes of a priestess, a miko, complimented her lithe frame. She also had not tried to kill him.

"Why don't you kill me already?" he finally asked, breaking the silence. She laughed softly, the sound of bells caressing his ears.

"Because you are like me. We share a fate." Her regal voice was warm, and her eyes remained gentle. She turned from him and sat down, settling herself in the warm grass overlooking the lake.

Inuyasha continued to stare at her. She made no more movements. A longing filled his heart, a feeling he hadn't felt after his mother died. Inexplicably, he found himself wishing to sit beside the miko and enjoy the serene peace. When he found himself unable to find a reason not too, Inuyasha moved towards her. When she didn't object, he settled down next to her, enjoying the quiet.

"My name is Kikyou," she said, soft enough for him to barely catch it. His silver dog ears swivelled in her direction, though he refused to look at her. As moments passed, he realized she was waiting for him to introduce himself.

"Inuyasha," came the gruff response. Unsure of the proper protocol, the hanyou attempted to cover up his unease with indifference. They continued to look at the scenery, enough said for one day.

* * *

Time passed easily enough as Kikyou continued her duties as a miko. Months became a year as she learned to cherish her time with Inuyasha, the hanyou who listened to her in complete silence. He never once stopped her to tell her she was being selfish, or that she should continue to complete her role as a miko. Eventually, Kikyou ended up telling Inuyasha her greatest secret.

"I hate being a priestess." Her voice had been matter of fact, but she could sense the surprise from the hanyou as they sat on the gently sloping ground. As he made no response, she continued. "All my life I have been told to be good and pure, to put aside my needs for the needs of others. And I do, without complaint. But I cannot help but think it is unfair. Why was I chosen to serve these people, who are often ungrateful of what I give up for them! My fate was decided long before I was ready to accept it. Given the chance, I would change it, give it all up for something more important. Something I desire more."

Inuyasha was much to surprised to make a response to this. So he simply waited for her to continue on. Kikyou debated telling him the complete truth. She didn't really care who she might marry, as long as he loved her, and she loved him enough that it could be satisfactory. But no mortal man dared cross a miko in such a manner. Inuyasha was a different story. He was gentle enough, scared enough, she felt that he would do. Kikyou simply decided that she would ask him her question.

"You seek the Shikon no tama to become fully demon. I would like to ask you to become fully human. For me." As much as Kikyou wanted to be free, she could not entertain the notion of marrying a half-breed. To consider loving him enough to make her life worthwhile, she needed him to be human. Kikyou did not view herself as completely selfish; she felt she was simply a girl who knew what she wanted out of life.

"I would do that for you." Inuyasha's voice broke her train of thoughts. She looked at him in shock, having fully expected him to deny her request. He obviously felt more strongly for her than she could have imagined, and guilt danced across her heart. She pushed it away, and gave the hanyou a rare smile.

"Meet me tomorrow. I will bring the jewel, and we can be together." The two watched the sunset casting the orange glow on the world. Inuyasha finally felt complete. Kikyou finally felt relief. She had chosen her own path. With the hanyou, soon to be human, Inuyasha completely devoted to her, a bright future shone as strongly as the sunset's glow.

"I will protect you always," he said softly. She laughed quietly, intimidating him. But he did not know how to respond, so he didn't. The words were brave for him, and he felt a little lost at her apparent rejection of his claim. But he knew he meant every word, and would carry them with him to the grave. As for now, he contented himself with her smell, a mixture of fresh water and summer grass, natural elements with a sweet and wistful scent.

Inuyasha regretted giving up his demon heritage, but he felt Kikyou's love for him made it all worthwhile. Surely this was the acceptance and love he craved.

* * *

That night, a being arose from the earth, full of dangerous evil and incomplete hate. He had heard news of a promise, and he would not allow such things to happen. After all, he had not gotten what he desired. Why should anyone else? As red eyes glowed with an evil plot, two distinct stars overhead grew close, ran parallel, then continued on. Neither crossed the other, and one faded.

* * *

Kikyou found herself breathless in the clearing, waiting for Inuyasha. Her hopes of her own life danced in her head, and she continued to push away the guilt at her mild deception. After all, if the hanyou would be happy, what difference did it make? A soft noise behind her cause Kikyou to turn just in time to feel her shoulder ripped apart. A familiar flash of red and white caused more pain in her heart than she could have imagined. At the same time, she felt it grow as hard as stone. The hanyou had deceived her! He simply wanted the jewel all along! Her mingling guilt mixed with her anger and a hatred was born before Kikyou even hit the ground. She felt the blood poor out of her body as the hanyou stood above her and laughed. She was dying, she knew it, and he laughed! He stooped, to take the jewel, and she was powerless.

"Bastard!" was her last thought before losing consciousness. She failed to see another Inuyasha enter the clearing and soundly defeat the imposter. She died before he could reach her, the imposter choosing to flee before he too faced death. Inuyasha had arrived in time to stop the jewel from being stolen, and as he carried the bloody body to the village, he placed the jewel around his love's neck. After placing her in the shrine, he left. No one had seen him.

There was nothing for the hanyou to do anymore. He mooched around the village during the rest of the day, by the well. He knew when the body was discovered, and he heard who the blame was placed on. He did not know he was being watched. He did not hear the calculating laugh of his unknown nemesis. Grief consumed him. Kikyou was dead.


	3. Chapter 3: The Death of Inuyasha

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

**Chapter Three**

_Inuyasha and Naraku: The Death of Inuyasha_

It had been a week since Kikyou's death. Seven days of complete torture. 168 hours of misery. 10080 minutes of an unrelenting self anger. 604800 seconds of knowing her cool skin would never again brush against his.

Inuyasha knew he could never be the same again. He told himself he would never love again. His mother died. And now Kikyou died. He couldn't help but blame himself. His gentle mother instilled in him the desire to protect, and he had failed! Because of him, Kikyou had died! Even worse, she had died thinking he had betrayed her. There had been no chance to rectify this grave error, and he had been unable to save the woman he loved. The woman who, until that point, he believed loved him back. Certainly she had accepted his human side more willingly, but she tolerated him as a hanyou, which was more than most people did. If she wanted him to become human, Inuyasha would be damned if he didn't let that happen. But now this... He could still feel the cool brush of her arm against his. Her regal voice replayed in his mind, and he cherished her smile, given few times. After a week of wandering, he found himself back by the village, staring at the clearing with the well.

Something drew him continuously to this well. He found he could not explain it, the yearning in his heart that he was missing something. Naturally he assumed it was Kikyou, but he had no idea how the well had any connection between the two of them. He crouched down next to it, leaned back against the wood, warm from the sun. His ears drooped. His mother had rubbed them when he was little, but Kikyou refused to touch them. As the silence continued, his exhaustion overtook him. The sun warmed his slumbering body.

Naraku watched with a keen eye. He would have only one chance, and the work would be done. All that would be left would be to find the jewel. Complete control would be his, with humans and demons alike running mindlessly from him. Slowly, several tentacles worked their way though the ground, approaching the sleeping form of the inu-hanyou. Patience was the key. Soon enough he was there. As the tentacles burst out of the soil, Inuyasha awoke too late, his golden eyes filled with fear, then hatred at the being who killed him.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stood over the bloodied corpse that had been his hanyou half brother. An odd feeling tugged at his heart, the same feeling he had felt when his father had died. Without meaning too, he spoke to Jaken. "Bury the body." His tone was dangerous enough that the little toad did not attempt to question the command. The demon lord walked away, unable to comprehend himself. He had not cried for his father, save a single tear. He told himself it was merely the frustration of not being the one to defeat him; now he would never hold that final grain of power. As another single droplet of water slid down his face, he was at a loss to explain this one to himself. 

With the fabric of time skewed, Rin never offered the demon lord her compassionate and carefree nature. Tenseiga remained silent at his side.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm sorry!I know this is really sad and depressing, but from here on out it will only get much much better, I promise! I needed this to be sad, to make up for all the happiness to come! I pretty much have the story mapped out how I want it to go...I think it'll turn out pretty nice. There is a happy ending, promise! Keep looking for the next installment, it should be coming soon: )


	4. Chapter 4: What Should Have Happened

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

* * *

On Kagome Higurashi's fifteenth birthday, she was supposed to have fallen down the well at her family's shrine. Fate had decreed it as such. Unfortunately, a twist of the fabric of time had retracted this from her future. A silent evil overtook her life, shadowing her every move, in an attempt to capture ultimate power.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Kagome and Friends: What Should have Happened_

Fourteen-year-old Kagome Higurashi giggled happily. Not only was tomorrow her birthday, but Eri had planned a slumber party for their small group of friends and her mother had said she would be allowed to go! Humming to herself as she packed things up in her yellow backpack, she envisioned how her life would be different upon turning fifteen.

One thing would remain. Kagome blushed as she thought of her boyfriend, Takumi, who had asked her out a year ago today. He had meant to wait until her birthday, but he often told her he simply couldn't. The thought of going one more day without her by his side was too much for him to bear. Such sweetness easily melted Kagome's heart, and even now she felt herself weak at the knees thanks to the special boy.

Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, Kagome finished packing her bag and headed downstairs. Her mother was in the kitchen, baking something that smelled delicious.

"Bye Mama!" Kagome called.

"Be careful, dear," came her mother's warm voice. "I'll see you tomorrow! I made a special treat for your birthday!" Kagome grinned in anticipation, slipped on her shoes, and headed outside. Walking through the shrine, she admired the blue sky as a warm breeze tousled her hair. As she passed the well house, she suddenly stopped, feeling a strong urge to go inside. Along her side, she felt something shifted painfully. Biting her lip nervously, Kagome looked at the well house as she clutched her side. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary...

She slowly walked towards it, but hesitated entering, her hand on the door. The wind picked up, a cold chill that made her shudder. Kagome backed away from the door uneasily, then turn and ran. She didn't like how she felt around the well house, and was eager to get away. She knew she really should tell her mother, but she was afraid she wouldn't be allowed to go to the party then. Anyway, the further away she got, the friendlier everything seemed again. Taking a deep breath, Kagome smiled with the excitement of the party in her honor.

* * *

"Hurry Kagome, open it!" squealed Yuka. Kagome hurried to open the brightly colored gift and laughed when she saw it. A tiny figurine of a fat cat sat in her palm, almost the replica of Buyo.

"It's so cute!" Eri exclaimed. Ayumi nodded in agreement, but then she pushed her own small gift towards her friend.

"Here Kagome," she smiled. Kagome accepted the gift with excitement, and pulled the wrapping paper off with professional ease. Her brow furrowed at the gift. It was a necklace, she knew that, but unlike any one she had ever seen before. "I found it in an antique store," Ayumi explained. "I know you like unique things, so I just had to get it for you!"

"Thank you!" Kagome replied warmly. She held the fragile looking necklace up, and the girls admired it. Small brown beads made up the bulk of it, but in between every ten or so a long grey bead created a patten.

"They look kind of like fangs," Eri said, pointing to the grey beads. Yuka agreed, and said so.

"But it gives is an interesting look," Kagome protested. "Maybe they're shark teeth or something. I'll have to look it up when I get home. Thanks Ayumi!" Ayumi smiled, happy with her gift choice.

"Now me," Eri said, pushing a large gift towards Kagome. She laughed, hardly able to anticipate her friend's reaction. Kagome pulled the paper off carefully, thinking the large pieces could be reused. "Hurry!" Eri pressured. Kagome giggled and pulled the final piece away. Her jaw dropped.

"Wow Eri," Yuka commented. "Think you got enough?"

"Really Eri, she's one person," Ayumi said, in awe. Meanwhile, Kagome simply stared at the huge mountain of instant Ramen before her.

"Well really," Eri defended herself, "Kagome is so busy, I thought she could use it. After all, with classes and all, it will be difficult for her to make it to dinner every night." The explanation was cut short as Kagome fell over, laughing her head off.

"Eri, you are probably the most awesome person ever," she managed to get out. The laughter was infectious, and the four friends were soon rolling on the floor laughing. This eventually turned into a pillow fight and only after solid half hour of beating did Kagome emerge victorious. The four collapsed, still giggling.

"Oh man, I so tired," Yuka complained.

"Me too," Eri agreed. The feeling was mutual across the group, and they got up to prepare for bed. Even though it was a slumber party, there was still school tomorrow, and the girls had only been allowed to have the party on the condition they had a good nights sleep. All too soon they were snuggled into sleeping bags, lights out, still whispering.

"Oh Kagome," Yuka whispered. "What do you think Takumi will get you for your birthday?"

"I don't know," Kagome admitted. "He's already told me it's a really good gift, but he's also a guy. It could be something like...a huge pile of food. Oh wait, Eri got that covered." Kagome squeaked as she was hit by a well-aimed pillow.

"You know you love the Ramen best of all," Eri laughed. The girls all giggled, but drowsiness had finally overtaken them. Three of the four slept peacefully that night.

But Kagome had a horrific dream where she was dressed in strange clothes, and a dog viciously attacked her and killed her, and then she was transported through some object where an evil looking man laughed at her as he stood over Takumi's dead body.


	5. Chapter 5: Love Reincarnate

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Five**

_Kagome and Takumi: Love Reincarnate_

The rising sun caused the sky to blush rosily, as the last of the stars faded away. Two bright ones ran parallel before fading away into the sunlight. Had anyone been watching, they would have seen a third star to appear next to the pair.

Kagome opened her grey eyes to find Eri staring at her.

"She's awake!" the girl hollered, causing Kagome to clap her hands over her ears.

"Sheesh Eri, are you trying to make me deaf?" snapped Kagome. With the little sleep she had gotten, she was not in a very good mood. But Eri turned a grinning face to Kagome.

"Happy birthday!" she hollered again, and Kagome smiled at that. She had forgotten, unbelievably, that she was fifteen today. "Hurry," Eri said. "We let you sleep in, we don't have much time before we have to leave." Kagome glanced at the clock and yelped.

"I've got ten minutes!" Leaping up, she frantically dashed through the room, grabbing the necessary items before disappearing into the bathroom. Eri giggled, and left the room. Nine minutes and forty-one seconds later, Kagome appeared downstairs. She had taken perhaps the faster shower of her life, and her hair framed her face damply. Her eyes widened at the site before her.

"We made you a birthday breakfast!" her trio of friends announced. Kagome's eyes glanced at the clock in confusion. "Yeah, I set my clock ahead, so you would have time to eat," Eri sheepishly admitted. Kagome felt her bad mood getting worse. She knew her friends were trying though, so she attempted a happy face.

"Thanks! Let's dig in then, huh?"

* * *

After breakfast, the girls biked to school. Kagome looked everywhere for Takumi on the grounds, but didn't see him. Disappointed, she followed her friends inside. 

"Kagome!" At the sound of his voice, Kagome whirled around, her face shining with a smile. A tall boy was approaching her, brushing dark hair out of his face. The cut was a typical short cut, but the bangs were always fall into his eyes. They were violet, and now were smiling into her grey ones.

"Takumi!" she exclaimed, rushing towards him. If anyone could brighten her day, her cheerful boyfriend certainly could. He held his arms open, and captured Kagome in a huge hug.

"Happy birthday, little miko," he whispered in her ear. He had called her a miko from the first day he learned she lived at the shrine, insisting that she was the perfect candidate to be one. Kagome didn't mind, she liked that he thought she held that sort of mystical power. All too soon, he released her from the hug and presented her with a tiny gift. "This is the first part of your birthday surprise," he announced, a twinkle in his violet eyes. Kagome opened it carefully, and gasped.

"Oh wow..." It was a tiny charm bracelet, with three charms already attached. Closer inspection revealed three tiny swords. The amount of detail on the tiny objects was astounding. Kagome would've sworn one looked like it had been battle scarred already. "It's amazing!"

"I knew you'd like it," Takumi smirked. She grinned up at him as he carefully latched it on her wrist. "Let's head to class," he said, and taking her hand proceeded to lead her. Sighing happily, Kagome allowed herself to lean her head against his shoulder, feeling her bad move evaporate. Takumi always had that effect on her. Half the time he infuriated her, with his impish nature and love of jokes, but he also always knew exactly what to say to keep her spirits up. Ayumi once had told her that the two must be starcrossed lovers, but Kagome had rolled her eyes at the romantic thought. She much preferred Takumi as he was – a funny guy who genuinely liked her.

* * *

After school Takumi and Kagome headed back to the shrine, waving at her three smiling friends. The day was beautiful, with the sun beating down, warming the couple. Once there, they stood beneath the largest tree on the grounds, allowing the shade to cool themselves down. Takumi pulled Kagome close and kissed her. 

"That was the second part," he whispered huskily in her ear after pulling away. She giggled and leaned against him. They were close to the well house, and she was feeling an uncomfortable urge to go to the small building. Leaning against Takumi somewhat alleviated this.

"Is this gift going to keep coming in small parts?" she asked him. He chuckled.

"Of course. If it lasts all day, that makes it all the more special." He looked down at the girl snuggled against him and smiled. "But I have another part."

"Show me!" Kagome immediately looked up and held out her hands. Takumi laughed again, and placed another small gift in her hands. Eagerly, she unwrapped it, and pulled out a long silver chain, with a tiny black ball as the bauble.

"It's a black pearl," Takumi explained. "Been in the family for ages."

"Are you sure then, that you want to give it to me?" Kagome asked breathlessly. He nodded, his black hair flopping into his eyes. She smiled then, and pushed it back from his face. "Please put it on." Giving him the necklace, she turned around and lifted her hair off her shoulders. He wrapped around her, latching it around her slender neck. Once finished, he turned her back around and kissed her again. Kagome melted into him, and started to believe that maybe Ayumi had been right.

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi had invited Takumi to stay for dinner, but he had declined, saying he had something else that needed attending too. Then he winked at Kagome and left. She had smiled to herself all through dinner, then gone outside the shrine to wait for him to return. As the sun set and the stars came out, she noticed a little group of three stars, all clumped together. It didn't seem unusual, but it did strike her. 

Then the pain hit. Right in her side, a sharp sudden stab, quick enough to leave her gasping for breath. And again, there was that undescribable urge to go to the well house. In too much pain to think much about it, Kagome half stumbled, half crawled towards the innocent little building, dreading what she was doing.

"What's happening?" she whispered to herself, getting dizzier the closer she got. Her hand on the door, there was that same chilling wind as before, only now she couldn't run away. Voices were screaming in her mind for her to go inside. She threw the door open, and gasped. The well was glowing a strange pink color, illuminating the room. Tripping inside, she fell onto the well covering. Without knowing quite what she was doing, Kagome pulled the covering off.

"What the–" Grey eyes wide with shock, Kagome stared down at the figure below her. A man with long white hair, dressed in red, and also covered with blood lay motionless at the bottom of the well.

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry, I meant to get three chapters up, but only two got written. Forgive me please! Anyway, was this a good enough cliffie for ya? Mwahaha!

And Inuyasha and Essence: Don't worry, I am definitely planning on a happy ending. I have this pretty well mapped out in my mind, but there is probably going to be lots of angst and tragedy before the happiness. But there will be a happy ending. I love happy endings!


	6. Chapter 6: Face to Face

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Six**

_Inuyasha and Kagome: Face to Face_

Kagome wasn't certain how she managed it, but she pulled the beaten, bruised and bloody body of the man out of the well. Dragging him out of the well house, she saw his face somewhat clearer in the twilight. She narrowed her eyes. The face structure was very similar to Takumi's, and she could see her boyfriend in front of her, if she imagined the man with short dark hair instead of long silver locks and...what were those on top of his head? Kagome leaned closer in the waning light, and reached a hand out to touch them. Soft, and fuzzy...just like dog ears. She furrowed her brow in confusion, but then the man moaned. So, he was alive. Better to get him inside the house then.

Plus, her side still ached, and she felt dizzy. At least that weird cold wind was gone. She dragged her body towards the house, hoping her family was relaxing in the back. Luck was with her, and she got the man inside without being seen. But now she faced the stairs. Kagome shrugged, knowing there was little else she could do. Gripping the man's shirt firmly, she yanked. Kagome decided it was a good thing the man seemed unconscious, as he was probably having a very uncomfortable ride up the stairs.

They made it though, and into her room. Her side finally stopped hurting, and her dizziness had subsided. Kagome then reached for the phone, gazing at the man on her bedroom floor.

"Takumi," she began as soon as she heard him pick up, "I'm so sorry, but we've got to cancel for tonight. I'm not feeling so well...I think the cake mama baked me had something funny in it."

"Aw, miko are you sure?" Takumi sounded really worried, making Kagome feel guilty. She would rather spend the last of her birthday with her boyfriend, and not this strange man, but something inside her drew her to the man.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry."

"Don't be, you can't help these things. Look, I'll swing by tomorrow to see how you're doing. We can make a rain date, you'll just have to wait a little bit longer for the best gift of all!" Laughter coated Takumi's voice, but Kagome caught the concern as well.

"I'm get better soon, I can't wait!" Kagome promised. "Bye Takumi."

"Get well my little miko," he responded. She hesitated hanging up. Things were going to change drastically the moment she did, and Kagome wanted to hang on to her little shred of peace for as long as possible. But a final click told her that Takumi hung up first. Kagome did as well. Then she looked at the mess of a man on her floor.

"Guess I better get you cleaned up," she sighed. She took off his outer clothes, admiring how soft the red fabric felt, despite being covered by blood. She tossed the clothes into a heap in her empty laundry basket, and then took off the bloodied white shirt. She dumped in the basket as well, then looked at the man. And gasped. His entire chest was one large bloody mess, gaping open in some areas. His arms were also covered in bloody lacerations.

"What happened to you?" Kagome whispered, her eyes wide with shock. What shocked her more was actually seeing the man's body working to fix itself. "How are you able to self heal?" Then Kagome was distracted as she realized she was going to have to take the man's pants off next. She sincerely hoped the man was wearing underwear.

"I suppose I don't have too, but...it would probably be worse for you..." Kagome sighed, closed her eyes, and took off the pants. Peeking with one eye, she was immensely relieved to see there was something resembling underwear on the man. Then both eyes opened wide, for the legs were also just as bruised and beaten up as the torso. It honestly looked like the man had dived off a cliff, fighting with a lawn mower, and seriously lost.

"What happened to you?" Kagome said for the second time, unable to comprehend this sort of serious injury. "I really should get you to some place like a hospital, but then...you're also healing yourself, and those ears..." Kagome contemplated the ears. So like dogs ears... She shook her head. Business first, then she could rub those ears. Her bedroom was connected to the bathroom, and she dragged the man through the door, and laid him beside the tub.

"It's not really the most dignified form of travel, but it works." Kagome ran the water, hoping no one would come to see what she was doing. Filling a basin with the warm water, she found a sponge and some soap, and set in to clean the man up.

* * *

About an hour later, the man was laying on her bed. He was clean, and his wounds were bandaged. In just that short time Kagome had seen some of the smaller cuts heal up and vanish, as if they had never been there. It was puzzling, but she knew it also had something to do with the ears. Just has Kagome reached for them, she heard her family coming up the stairs. 

"Goodnight Kagome!" called her mother. Kagome hurried to her door, afraid to show her family who she was hiding in her room.

"Goodnight mama," she replied.

"What happened with Takumi, I thought he was coming back?"

"He called, something came up..." Kagome hated lying, but she wanted to find out about this man herself. She wasn't quite ready to share him yet. Her mother smiled.

"Well, perhaps tomorrow then. After all, no school!" Kagome smiled back weakly. She then said goodnight to her grandfather and brother, and watched as everyone went into their respective rooms. Heaving a sigh, she closed her door and faced the unknown man. Again. This time she walked towards him, and looked into his face.

"You look just like Takumi. Do you have violet eyes? Your hair is long and silver...but I can imagine it short and black. How are you able to heal so fast? How did you end up in the well? And what is with those ears?" Unable to contain herself, Kagome reached forward and rubbed the ears. They were soft, just like she imagined. But she pulled back with a start when she heard a contented sigh from the man. His face did not seem so haggard anymore, but almost...almost happy. Kagome shrugged, then got into her own pajamas. With the man on her bed, she snuggled into her desk chair. It was uncomfortable, but she watched the man until he fell asleep.

* * *

Inuyasha opened his eyes. It was late, he knew, because it was so dark out. Where was he? He started to moved, then stopped as his muscles screamed in agony. Then his heart screamed in agony as he remembered...Naraku...and Kikyou dying...and then Naraku had killed him. Wait. Hadn't he died? Was he in heaven? Inuyasha sniffed, trying to figure out where he was. 

There was a strange smell in the air, something he couldn't place. There was also the familiar smell of trees, and grass. It also smelled like he was laying on flowers, but his fingers told him he wasn't. He sniffed the air one more time, and froze. A scent he remembered, something like water? No, more like the air right after a summer rain, clean and refreshing. Something pure and beautiful, soft and inviting. Inuyasha's gold eyes finally opened and he stared at his strange surroundings. But he stopped on a figure of a woman, black hair cascading over her shoulder as he slept. A figure he never expected to see again.

"Kikyou?" The word was whispered, but enough to rouse the girl from her shallow slumber. Blinking sleepily, she looked up, and into the eyes of the waking man.

"You're awake," she said, and Inuyasha's ears twitched. Her voice was too warm to be Kikyou's and her eyes weren't the right color. Plus her smell, though a little similar, was, at the same time, very different. "What's your name?"

"Inuyasha," the hanyou responded, though he didn't know why. The girl stood up and stretched, then walked over.

"You were really beat up. I tried to clean you up as much as possible. But you seemed to be healing by yourself as well. You might be fine in the morning." She smiled, a warm friendly smile.

"Why are you helping me?" Inuyasha asked, very confused. "And where am I?"

"I don't know why I'm helping you. It was weird, it was like something was telling me too. You're in Tokyo. On my family's shrine. I found you in our well."

"The well?" Inuyasha asked. "But that's where...wait, where's Kikyou?"

"I don't know. You were the only one there. Who is she?"

"I thought you were her...for a minute..." Kagome smiled at the confused man before her.

"No, I'm Kagome. But maybe we'll find her. Wait until the morning. Go back to sleep now." Inuyasha did not appreciate the attitude she was taking with him.

"Look, I'm not a little kid."

"No, but you need rest." Kagome settled down next to the bed, then reached up and started rubbing Inuyasha's ears.

"Stop that!" Inuyasha snapped, but it felt so good, so relaxing...and he was tired. It wasn't long before he fell asleep. But Kagome rubbed them long after.

* * *

The morning sun woke Inuyasha, and he blinked, again trying to remember all that had happened. It seemed like a dream until he looked down and saw the girl who looked like Kikyou, but wasn't. What was her name? 

"Hey, wake up," Inuyasha mumbled. The girl started, then looked up sleepily.

"Oh yeah!" she said. "How're you feeling?"

"Feh, well enough to eat. I'm hungry." Her eyes opened in surprise, then she laughed. It seemed so foreign, laughter coming from a girl who looked like Kikyou. Inuyasha growled in distress, he didn't know how to handle these emotions. The girl stopped laughing at the growl.

"What are you?" she asked. Inuyasha looked at her strangely.

"You don't know?" She shook her head. "Well...I'm a hanyou. Half demon, half human. That's why I'm able to heal so quickly. But, I can't move without hurting, and I'm still hungry." Kagome giggled at that.

"Ok, I get the hint. Let me go get you something for breakfast."

"Make it fast miko," Inuyasha said as Kagome stood up. She started, and stared at him.

"What did you call me?"

"Miko..." Inuyasha's voice trailed off. She had said they were on a shrine, and he assumed she looked so much like Kikyou that she had to be a miko, or at least a priestess.

"Do I know you?" Kagome asked suspiciously. Not only did this guy resemble Takumi, but he called her the same nickname. Too uncanny.

"I don't think so," Inuyasha said. "But you remind me very much of someone..." Despite his efforts, Inuyasha felt his throat choke up, and he stopped speaking. In silence, the two regarded each other. Then, "Look, I'm still hungry, wench." Inuyasha thought the insult might break the girl from her suspicious stupor. He was right. Her face looked furious.

"What did you just call me?"

"Wench. Because you obviously didn't like miko. I've got to call you something."

"How about my name: Kagome!" the girl all but shrieked. Inuyasha was flabbergasted. This girl, though she looked like Kikyou, was absolutely nothing like her. Frustrated with the whole situation, Inuyasha attempted to rise. His clawed hands scratched the girl, and she gasped. He flopped back onto the bed, the pain unbearable.

"Are you trying to hurt me? After all I did for you?" Kagome asked, insulted. Without quite knowing what she was doing, she dove for her pile of gifts, and pulled out the necklace Ayumi had given her. "Here." She pulled it over Inuyasha's head. A strange feeling pulsed from it and Kagome yanked her hands back as though burned.

"Hey!" Inuyasha grabbed at the necklace and couldn't pull it off. Despite the pain, he tried to get up again.

"Sit boy," Kagome snapped, and Inuyasha thudded back into the bed. Both the girl and the hanyou looked at each other in stunned silence. Inuyasha was wondering about the girl – she obviously had miko powers. Kagome was wondering more why she had just done what she did. And how it had worked. And before much else could be done...

"Kagome! Breakfast!" called her mother.

"I'll be back for you in a minute," Kagome said as she broke out of her shock. "Don't move." She turned and flounced out of the room.

"And where would I go?" mumbled Inuyasha. He had no idea what to expect from the girl. Perhaps it was she who pulled in here? How had he survived Naraku's attack, anyway? Until the girl came back...there would be no answers. Inuyasha drifted to sleep again, thinking about how nice it had felt to have his ears rubbed again...

* * *

Author's Notes: Hm...decent. Not quite the way I wanted it to turn out, but it works. Ok, this story is going on hiatus for a month, it will be back in MAY! For the full explanation, visit my profile. 


	7. Chapter 7: Rebirth

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Seven**

_Inuyasha and Takumi: Rebirth_

"And just who the hell are you?" The cross voice snapped Inuyasha out of his slumber and his eyes opened wide. Two things immediately crossed the hanyou's mind. First, he was appalled he hadn't sensed someone coming. Second, the face that was currently gaping at him was his own face. At least, his face on the night of the new moon.

"I could ask the same of you!" he snapped back, unsure of what was going on. Still, he had always been a firm believer that the best defense was a smart ass remark to back up a tough offense. He furrowed his brow, trying to look intimidating without letting on that he couldn't move.

"I know Kagome, she doesn't just go around picking up strange guys. So the next logical assumption is that you did something to her. So I'll ask again – who the hell are you?" Dark brows graced violet eyes that Inuyasha was too familiar with to pretend he didn't recognize himself.

"Before I go on about myself, why don't you tell me who you are, and why you look like me?" The boy scoffed at that, his anger still in his features.

"I look like you? Please, I don't have old man hair, nor do I wear fake ears!" The boy reached up to one of Inuyasha's sensitive ears, intending to grab it off. The minute he clasped it, Inuyasha yelped in pain, his eyes wide.

"Damn it, that hurt! What the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha whimpered, painfully moving his hand up to his head, trying to massage his ear. The boy had stepped back in shock, staring at Inuyasha. The expression on his face was one Inuyasha knew all too well. Disgust. Fear. Complete mistrust of the being in front of him. Inuyasha struggled to sit up.

"Don't move," the boy said. Inuyasha kept at it until he was up, panting with the effort. His eyes laced red for a moment, then subsided. He looked straight into violet eyes.

"My name is Inuyasha. I don't know who you are, or who Kagome is. She found me when I was beat up really bad. She saved my life. I wish she hadn't though." The boy continued staring at Inuyasha, though his gaze was less fearful.

"I'm Takumi," he said slowly. "Are you...are you a hanyou?" Inuyasha started at that. "Just a legend in my family," Takumi said in answer to the silent question. "Something that happened a long time ago." He approached Inuyasha, who cringed despite himself.

"Look, I don't know what is going on here." Inuyasha defended himself, but Takumi shook his head.

"What did you say about dying? That's not how it was supposed to happen. Mom told me the legend a thousand times about the fairytale legend of the hanyou and the miko, who overcame the prejudices of the time."

"What?" Inuyasha asked, more confused than he had ever been. "It was that man, he somehow got Kikyou to think I betrayed her...then he killed me. I thought. I was by the well, I don't know." It was completely uncharacteristic of the hanyou to open up the way he was, but since the boy looked just like him, it seemed so much like talking to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Takumi asked. "There was never another man. The only other person was Onigumo, a bandit who wanted the miko, so the hanyou killed him. The miko never knew about it."

"I don't know," Inuyasha rubbed his head tiredly, then carefully eased himself back down on the bed. "I don't know what's going on at all." His ears twitched. "She's coming back."

"Who? Oh, Kagome? She'll be upset...wait, I'm leaving. Don't let her know I was here, ok?" Takumi crawled out the window, and Inuyasha was left alone again. His nose twitched, the clean smell of a summer rain infiltrating his being. She was coming back, the girl who looked so much like Kikyou it made his heart ache.


	8. Chapter 8: The First Attempt

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Eight**

_Kagome and Naraku: The First Attempt_

Kagome had heard the yelp, but it was muted enough her family thought it came from outdoors. She crammed in as much food as she dared, before saying she wanted to finish her breakfast in her room. With her mother's quizzical gaze on her back, Kagome loaded her plate, and headed up the stairs. The going was tricky, especially with Buyo constantly trying to trip her, wanting the food for himself. After a tedious process, she made it upstairs and to her room.

"I brought you some breakfast," Kagome whispered as she turned her doorknob and entered her room. She blushed as she noticed the gaze of the being on her bed. Intense golden eyes watched her as she came in and placed the plate of food on the bed stand.

"Smells good, thanks miko," the gruff voice came.

"Stop calling me that! Call me Kagome!" She was startled at how unsettled she was around Inuyasha. Attempting to soften her rampage, she spoke again. "I didn't realize your eyes were so gold."

"You might have noticed if you hadn't been so busy yelling at me. Speaking of which, will you take this off now?" Inuyasha pulled at the beads around his neck. Kagome smirked at him.

"No, I think its better that I have a way to control you. Now eat." She pointed at the food. Inuyasha painfully turned his head towards it, and struggled to lift his arm. Kagome sighed at the sight of it.

"What?"

"Look, let me help you."

"No, I can do it myself."

"Obviously you can't, now shut up and let me help." Kagome settled down next to the scowling boy, stabbed a piece of bacon, and started to feed Inuyasha his breakfast. Despite the bristling animosity, both felt comfortably at home with each other.

* * *

It was after Kagome finished that she asked why she had heard him yelp. He had shrugged, saying he had only tried to move. Kagome scolded him lightly, feeling that if he had hurt himself then he really had been punished enough. She changed the dressings on his wounds, removing the ones that covered healed places. There was one on his left shoulder that was particularly disturbing. Every time she brushed it, Inuyasha winced.

"So what happened to you?" Her question pierced the silence that had overtaken the room. She looked at Inuyasha, who was avoiding her gaze.

"I don't know," he mumbled. "Some guy attacked me, and I thought I died."

"Does it have anything to do with this Kikyou you thought I was?" Inuyasha turned his head sharply, causing himself unnecessary pain.

"How did you know that?"

"I didn't, it just seemed like a logical explanation. Typical jealous guy revenge."

"He wasn't jealous, he was stupid."

"Well, what happened?" Kagome finished with the bandages and sat on the ground, resting her elbows on the bed. She focused totally on Inuyasha.

"Kikyou and me, well, we were friends." Inuyasha puzzled over how to explain their strange relationship.

"Just friends?"

"I don't really know. See, she was a miko, a very powerful miko, charged with protecting the Shikon no Tama."

"What's that?"

"Well, it's a jewel, that grants a wish."

"Any wish?"

"Yeah."

"Did you want it?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha looked at Kagome curiously. How did she know all this? Kagome noticed the look and shrugged.

"Just seems logical," she said.

"Ok, well, I wanted it to be a full demon. I'm just a hanyou, and I need to be a full demon to live up to my father's status."

"Would he not accept you any other way?"

"He's dead."

"Oh." Kagome's eyes softened, and she stretched her hand up, rubbing Inuyasha's ears. He closed his eyes in content, to exhausted with everything to complain. He hurried to finish his story before Kagome interrupted him again.

"So, I kept trying to steal it from Kikyou, but she always caught me. She never killed me though, and when I finally asked her why, she said it was because we shared a fate. After that, we would sit and look at things for a long time, and she would just talk to me." Kagome opened her mouth to comment on the odd nature of that, but decided not too.

"And then one day she told me she hated being a miko. She wanted to be normal. She asked me to use the Shikon no Tama to become human, so we could live together. I...said yes. I don't really know why. I still wanted to be a full demon, but if she wanted me to be human, I would have done it for her. So the next day we were to meet, only by the time I got there, I saw somebody else who looked like me. Whoever he was, he killed Kikyou. And then a week later, he killed me. I thought."

"Wow," Kagome said after a moment. She was still rubbing Inuyasha's ear, her brow furrowed in thought.

"I don't know why I just told you that," Inuyasha mumbled. "I don't tell anyone anything."

"People tell me lots of things," Kagome offered. "I'm just that way. Anyway, where were you when this guy attacked you?"

"By the well in my forest."

"A well? But I pulled you out of the well here. I don't understand what's going on." Kagome was thinking out loud when she noticed Inuyasha had fallen asleep again. She looked down at him and smiled. With regret, she patted his head, and stood up. She really wanted a shower.

* * *

Kagome sat on her porch, staring at the well house. Her still damp hair was rustled by the slight breeze as she sipped her soda. Her long sleeved black shirt and blue skirt were plenty to keep her warm. Her family had gone to the park – it had taken a lot of convincing that she hadn't wanted to go. Absently, she rubbed her side, where the pain had come when she was so close to the well.

"There's something big going on," she said quietly to herself. "But what do I have to do with it?" She thought of Inuyasha, still asleep in her room, and then suddenly of Takumi, who she hadn't heard from all day. _I've got to call him_, she thought in panic. Just as she stood, she heard the gates of the shrine entrance creaking.

The gates were something her grandfather had always been meaning to fix, but never got around too. Kagome liked it though, it always alerted her to someone entering the shrine. Since whoever it was had to walk up tons of stairs to get to the top, it also gave her time to check out who it was. She glanced around, noticing the practice bow and arrows on the porch – Grandpa must have been trying to teach Souta again. She grabbed them, intending to throw them inside to make the place look neater, when a man suddenly appeared at the top of the steps.

This was wrong, no one could climb the steps that quickly. Kagome stood there with the bow and arrows, staring at the man. He was dressed in loose fitting clothes, black and purple. His feminine features were set off more by his long, curly black hair. But his eyes were red, a deep crimson that reminded Kagome of the blood she had recently seen all over Inuyasha.

"Can I help you?" she called out, unnerved. The man approached her slowly, a malicious smirk growing on his face with every step.

"Of course you can, Kikyou," he spoke, his voice a low purr. Kagome's mouth dropped in shock.

"I am not Kikyou!" she snapped. "What do you want?"

"The Shikon no Tama. I know you have it. If you give it to me now, I will not kill you with much pain." The man's eyes lit up when he saw Kagome's reaction. Her jaw had dropped with the mention of the jewel, and then her whole face blanched under the brief description of the murder the man had just described to her. And then the lightbulb went off.

"You're the man who killed Kikyou!" Kagome clutched the bow in her hand tighter. The man chuckled.

"The one and same. But that damn hanyou stopped me from getting the jewel, and then it was burned with Kikyou. But you are her, so you have it. So give it to me."

"I don't have it," Kagome insisted, shaking slightly at the mention of Inuyasha. The man stopped, perhaps twelve feet away from her. As Kagome watched, his arms and legs melted away, leaving many long, green tentacles. Kagome gasped.

In the second floor bedroom, Inuyasha woke up, nose twitching with a scent he remembered all to well. Then he heard Kagome scream, and realized that she was being attacked. He struggled to rise, but flopped back because of the pain. Kagome screamed again, and Inuyasha struggled again. He would not allow another girl, especially one so like Kikyou, to die.

The man had attacked Kagome twice, cutting her body with those tentacles. Each time she had instinctively turned away, wrapping her body up in itself, and most importantly, protecting her throbbing side. The longer the man stayed, the colder Kagome was getting, and she felt the tears of pain streaming down her face. The man laughed, a dark sinister chuckled that cut through Kagome. She turned her head to look at him, an ugly mass of an ageless body.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"You may call me Naraku," he said, bowing slightly. Then he attacked her again. With a sudden burst of energy, Kagome leapt out of the way, but the tentacle caught her leg. She cried out in pain as she was slammed to the ground, then fear as she felt herself being dragged towards Naraku. She then realized she was still holding the bow, and the one arrow. Without really knowing what she was doing, Kagome notched the arrow and took aim.

"What do you think you're doing, Kikyou?" Naraku asked maliciously.

"I'm not her!" Kagome yelled out. She was aiming for the heart, and in a sudden surge of anger, pulled back and let go. Her eyes widened at the pink glow suddenly coating the arrow, as did Naraku. He was too close to dodge it, and it hit right in the middle of his chest. A blackness flew out, and the tentacle let go of Kagome. As she watched the swirling mass, it vanished, leaving only a broken piece of wood behind. Kagome collapsed on the ground, in shock. Inuyasha, who had watched the entire thing from the window also stared in shock.

* * *

"Well well well. The little miko woke up." The red eyes glowed as an insatiable need for the hunt arose within the speaker. The sun sat high in the sky, shining brightly as if nothing was amiss. 


	9. Chapter 9: The Second Attempt

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Nine**

_Takumi and Naraku: The Second Attempt_

Takumi had spent all day wondering what to do. He didn't want to call his little miko first, realizing that the hanyou in her room was the reason she told him she couldn't see him last night. But she hadn't called all day either, and he was starting to get worried. Despite what he thought he knew about the hanyou, he also knew that half demons could be dangerous. And besides, if this hanyou was who he thought he was, that meant things were very twisted up.

"Dammit, why won't you call me, Kagome?" Takumi was walking through the now deserted park, with the sun setting to his back. He fingered his last gift for Kagome, a sword sheath that was whispered to have magical properties. Another old family heirloom. Takumi still didn't know why he was giving these things to Kagome. If his father found out, he would be furious. Yet something in his heart told him Kagome needed these things, even more than she needed him. Which was a bit painful for his ego, to be sure. But Takumi always had been one to listen to his instincts. It was what got him Kagome in the first place.

Takumi sighed, and sat in a swing, lightly pushing himself back and forth. He checked his cell phone again, but no missed calls. He looked up at the sky, admiring the swirling colors that always appeared during a sunset. The dominant color tonight was red, a bloody vibrant red that made Takumi nervous.

"Are you ok, my little miko?" Takumi whispered into the empty air.

"She was never ok." Takumi jumped at the voice he hadn't been expecting. He looked around, trying to find the speaker.

"Who's there?" He finally called out.

"Just someone trying to warn you. Stay away from the miko."

"What? Do you mean Kagome? If you're threatening her, I will not stay away from her!" Takumi looked around again, squinting in the fading sunlight. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here," the voice answered condescendingly. As Takumi turned around, he saw the dark figure appear, as if out of nothingness.

"Who are you?" Takumi's voice betrayed none of his fear.

"Just someone telling someone else to mind their own business. The miko is no concern of yours." The figure approached Takumi, who gaped at the red eyes.

"What are you?" Takumi rectified his earlier question. He gripped the sheath harder than before. The figure only chuckled.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to stay out after dark?" The figure suddenly changed, and Takumi found himself knocked off his feet, landing painfully on the ground.

"I know you," he hissed through his pain. "You're Naraku, who tried to keep my family apart." Struggling to stand, Takumi clutched at his obviously broken arm. His violet eyes glinted with the blood color of the fading sky. Naraku watched carefully as those eyes flashed with a red that was not reflected from the sunlight.

"You shouldn't pretend like you know what's going on," Naraku said ominously. He attacked Takumi again, but the boy dodged the attack. Again and again, Naraku attacked, but the boy continued avoiding. But he began to wear down, while Naraku was not even sweating with effort. When one attack landed Takumi on his back, Naraku brought a tentacle down, ready to smash in victory, when Takumi weakly held up the sheath.

Immediately a pale blue glow surrounded him, pushing back against the attack of Naraku. Takumi howled in pain as he struggled to use his broken arm, and Naraku laughed with an evil sort of glee. But the sheath held up, and Naraku was not able to pass through the boundary it held. Takumi blinked, tears smarting his eyes that flickered between violet and red. He turned towards Naraku, not really comprehending what he was doing.

"What is this?" Naraku growled, watching the boy struggle to stand. He attacked again, but the sheath held up against his attacks. His attempts to stop to boy proved worthless as the boy dragged himself towards Naraku. He held up the sheath as if it were a life saver, which it truly was. Frustration ran through Naraku.

"I won't let you mess this up," Takumi yelled. "Things weren't supposed to happen like this!" Naraku wryly thought of the castle of time, and how right this boy really was. Then he was distracted by again, as the boy was gaining ground on him. Naraku began to back away, but the boy ran then, and moved the sheath from it's protective position. He cried out as a tentacle found it's mark, but moved forward nonetheless, and plunged the sheath deep into Naraku's body.

As a blackness swirled out and around, Takumi sank to the ground, still clutching the sheath. He swam in and out of consciousness as he watched the being in front of him vanish, leaving nothing but a bit of broken wood. Takumi sighed, recognizing the puppet. He rolled on his back, watching the last of the sunlight fade away, and the blackness of night enveloped him.

"Kagome!" he suddenly gasped. What if Naraku came after her as well? Takumi struggled to stand, and began his slow, painful way to the shrine where his little miko lived. He failed to notice the stars coming out. Two bright stars drew closer, while a dimmer third one was being pushed away.

* * *

Author's Notes: Sorry it's been so long, but I do hope that these three chapters make up for it! Finals are over though, so enjoy, for I should have regular updates from now on, yay! 


	10. Chapter 10: Threadwork

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Ten**

_Inuyasha and Kagome: Threadwork_

Inuyasha had hardly been able to stand it, watching Kagome sit down there, in shock after defeating the puppet of the man who destroyed his life. Despite his aching body, he had made it out of the bed and down the stairs. After fumbling with the door, he had gone outside, towards the shaking body of the girl he now knew for certain was a miko. Without quite being in control of himself, he knelt down, and wrapped his arms around her, trying to stop her shaking by the strength of his own body. She had stopped, and rebuked him for moving, to which he hesitantly laughed. Together they helped each other inside, and sat in Kagome's room, with her feeding him some ramen from Eri's stash. It was hours before they really talked at all. But they had, late in the evening, after Kagome's family had come home and gone to bed.

"How're you doing?" Inuyasha asked her, the tiny amount of concern laced in his voice a surprise to him. She was sitting on her desk chair, large enough to allow her to draw her knees to her chest. The shaking had stopped long ago – she had to pretend to be normal around her family – but her eyes still were wary. Those eyes now turned towards the hanyou, and he blinked at the grey depths.

"As ok as I suppose I can be," she replied. "This is crazy, what I've gotten myself into. What was he going on about anyway?"

"I'm not really certain I understand," Inuyasha replied. "Tell me again what he said to you."

"He said he wanted the Shikon no Tama, that jewel you told me about. He said if I gave it to him, he would make sure my death wouldn't be too painful. And it was your fault that he didn't get the jewel, so it was burned. And he kept calling me Kikyou." Kagome paused, thinking. "Tell me what happened between you and Kikyou again."

"I pretty much told you everything. I sort of courted her, and then he killed her, and then he killed me...what did you say his name was?"

"Naraku. But if he killed you, how is it you're here, alive?" Inuyasha shrugged at Kagome's question.

"I've been asking myself that very same question, endlessly."

"Were there any other men in Kikyou's life?" Kagome's question sounded heartless, but Inuyasha saw where she was going.

"None that were of significance. Like I said, she was a miko, so she was always helping the poor, or sick or whatever. But none of them meant anything to her."

"Are you sure?" Kagome winced as she saw the pain shoot across Inuyasha's eyes. He was sitting on her bed, back against the wall, cross-legged. Most of his wounds were healed completely, but he was oddly sore still, as though his body was fighting the fact that he was moving. His left shoulder was especially sore.

"I don't think I could prove it," he finally answered softly. "That is, I have no way of knowing for sure how faithful she was to me. I'm just a dumb hanyou, and I didn't really know how to court her properly or anything."

"Don't say that," Kagome said, just as softly. "You're not dumb at all." Inuyasha laughed shortly, the hollow noise sounding suspiciously bark-like.

"You don't even know me at all."

"I'm trying. Tell me about your father."

"I did tell you, he's dead." A look of irritation crossed Inuyasha's face. Kagome mirrored the look.

"I meant, tell me what you knew about him, what he was like when he was alive."

"I didn't know him. He died when I was only a baby."

"Surely your mother talked about him." Inuyasha didn't reply immediately. Instead, he gazed at Kagome thoughtfully, his ears swivelled towards her. She stared back just as intensely, hoping he would tell her something.

"I can hear your heartbeat from here," he finally said. Not what Kagome was expecting to hear, but she waited for him to continue. "I am a hanyou, a half demon. My mother was human, my father the greatest dog demon ever to ever live. Because of my heritage I am scorned by humans and demons alike. I am one of each, but accepted by neither. Kikyou was the first person since my mother died to treat me as more than dirt to be wiped away."

"So did you love her?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Enough to give up being a demon for her."

"Why did she want you to do that?"

"I don't know."

"So everyone hated you except for your mother, and presumably your father, but you didn't know him. And after both your parents died you had no one, until Kikyou, who didn't want you for what you were anyway. And then both you and she were killed."

"Um...well, I guess so." Inuyasha looked something akin to perplexed at Kagome's conclusion of his life.

"So where does Naraku fit in...?" Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Why did he think I was Kikyou?"

"Because you look almost exactly like her," Inuyasha replied bluntly. Kagome looked at him in shock.

"What?"

"Well you do. And you have the same powers as her...that arrow you shot at the puppet? She was an archer as well, and that same pink light always engulfed her arrows. You really are a miko. So, because her body was burned with the jewel, and you look like her, he must assume you have it." Kagome stared at Inuyasha wide-eyed, surprised by his sudden hypothesis.

"So if you're right...where does that leave us? What is he going to try next? And, where is the jewel anyway?" Kagome pondered this, while Inuyasha pondered her.

She sat there, staring off in space, trying deeply to figure out the mysteries suddenly pushed upon her. Her hair was pushed away from her face, and her lips were pursed in concentration. Inuyasha was struck by how she looked so much like Kikyou, and yet looked nothing like her at all. And she smelled so much like Kikyou, and still smelled nothing like her. In fact everything about her was so Kikyou...and yet she was definitely not Kikyou.

Inuyasha wondered again what had happened. And then he thought to finally ask something that had been concerning him.

"Where exactly am I?" Kagome started out of her thoughts at his question.

"Tokyo."

"Which is..."Inuyasha trailed off, the question still in face. "And why are there so many houses everywhere?"

"It's the city." Kagome's brow furrowed. "Why, where are you from?"

"Well, Japan, but it's all covered in trees, and grass, and there are only villages, and none of the stuff in those homes have the stuff in your house."

"On my..." Kagome's eyes suddenly grew very big, and her mouth formed a tiny 'o'. Then she blinked and shook her head. "No, it's not possible."

"What isn't possible?" Inuyasha slowly leaned forward, ignoring the painful throb of his body.

"What you're talking about...it sounds something like...the past. Think about it – I look like Kikyou, who you said died. And somehow you've time traveled to here, to the future. I'm not certain why. But here you are, even though you thought you died. It makes sense that you did, that's why Takumi looks so much like you. We're reincarnations of you and Kikyou!" After Kagome's outburst, she looked stunned. Inuyasha had other things on his mind.

"Takumi? You mean that boy who was here earlier?" And Kagome felt her mind fully blown.

* * *

Author's Notes: I'm moving updates to Sundays/Wednesdays, so two chapters every week, yay! 


	11. Chapter 11: Patchwork

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Eleven**

_Kagome and Takumi: Patchwork_

Inuyasha hadn't expected quite that reaction from Kagome, but he briefly managed to explain his encounter with the boy to her. She had stumbled from the room then, grabbing something she called a 'phone' and saying that she had to 'call him'. With her gone, Inuyasha eased himself back down on the bed, and rubbed his shoulder.

His mind wandered. He thought of Onigumo, the name that Takumi had mentioned. Was there any possibility that there was a connection there to Naraku? What had really happened between himself and Kikyou and Naraku? Where did the jewel fit in? Was Kagome right about the reincarnation thing? If it was true, and that boy really was his reincarnation, then did that mean he, Inuyasha really had died?

And if he had, then how was he alive here?

* * *

Kagome fumbled with the phone. What must Takumi think of her, finding a strange boy in her room? And how did she think he was going to react to all this? It seemed as though the whole world, already topsy-turvy, was going even more insane. Kagome finally managed to dial his cell number, and waited impatiently for him to pick up. 

"Hello?" The battered voice picked up, startling Kagome.

"Takumi?" She said hesitantly.

"Miko?" His voice was more alert now, and slightly panicked. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I think you saw something this morning, and I think we need to talk..." Kagome felt her voice trail off, cringing at the cliche phrase. The silence on the other end of the phone wasn't helping matters. But finally, _finally!_, a deep sigh indicated he had heard.

"Alright. I'll come over to your house." Kagome was about to open her mouth to suggest a better place, but figured it would be wise to not.

"I'll be waiting." She waited, ready to play the little game of goodbye tag they always played, but he hung up without saying goodbye. Sitting in her darkened living room, unaware of the pale light of the fading moon, Kagome felt tears streak down her face.

She wasn't quite certain why she was crying.

* * *

When Takumi came, she was smiling and waiting for him on the porch, as if nothing was wrong. As if it wasn't nearly midnight, and he probably had to sneak away to come see her. As if she couldn't feel the intense gold gaze of a hanyou from her bedroom window. He came up to her porch, and Kagome involuntarily shivered at the recent memory it brought up.

"Are you cold?" he immediatly asked, taking off his coat and wrapping it around her. She smiled in thanks, and then sighed.

"So you found Inuyasha?" she said, not looking at him.

"The hanyou in your room? Yeah. There's something going on little miko, something bigger than the both of us. I'm not sure what it is, but things aren't making sense at all."

"I know Takumi. Let me tell you though, what happened to me." Takumi's eyes lifted in alarm at her statement.

"What happened...?"

"At first. Last night, I was outside, waiting for you. There was this strange feeling, it was so cold, and the wind, and my side hurt, so I went to the well house, and then there he was, at the bottom of the well. I don't know how I did it, but I got him out of the well and upstairs in my room. He wasn't dead, so I cleaned him off. Inuyasha, that's what his name is. He told me about this girl he loves, no loved, he says she's dead now. The important thing is that she and I look alike, just like you and he look alike. Takumi, Inuyasha is convinced he died, and I think you are his reincarnation, just like I am the reincarnation of the girl he loved." Kagome paused, looking at the boy before her nervously.

"Miko, I have to ask you a very important question," Takumi finally spoke. "Were you attacked today, by a being with tentacles?"

"You mean Naraku? Yeah, how did you know?" Kagome thought she had hid her wounds fairly well.

"He attacked me today as well." Takumi sat heavily on the porch steps and Kagome sank down with him.

"Takumi, what's going on?"

"I asked my dad about it today. He told me some, and also said I need to talk to my uncle."

"The business man? He's not very nice, and he looks kind of odd."

"Miko, that's not exactly the point here." Kagome blushed under Takumi's words as he continued. "There's a legend in my family...it's hard to understand it, sometimes. But here is how it goes. There was a very powerful miko who fell in love with a hanyou. At the time in feudal Japan, such a union was unacceptable. The miko guarded a very powerful jewel, and believed that a good wish would make the jewel vanish, and the miko could live a normal life. The hanyou agreed to become human for the miko, and to live happily ever after. There was a bandit who wanted the miko to be his wife also, but the hanyou killed him. The wish was made, the hanyou became human, and, several generations later, here I am."

"That's..." Kagome realized it was almost exactly like what Inuyasha had told her about himself.

"That's not the end though. Apparantly the almost dead bandit made some sort of deal with a demon, who took over the body, intending to kill the two lovers. However, the brother of the hanyou killed the dark demon. Listen very importantly to this part, miko. The hanyou was named Inuyasha, the miko was named Kikyou, the bandit was Onigumo, but then turned into Naraku, and the demon brother was named Sesshoumaru."

"Wait..." Kagome felt her head spinning. "The hanyou I found...is Inuyasha. The girl he loved was called Kikyou...and Naraku, that was who attacked us. And Sesshoumaru, isn't that the name of your uncle? Why didn't we know any of this?"

"I only knew about Inuyasha and Kikyou. My father told me the rest today, about Naraku and my uncle."

"Then something has gone very wrong," Kagome said softly. "If Naraku killed Kikyou and Inuyasha, how is Inuyasha here today? Not to mention, wouldn't we be somewhat related, if neither one of us is supposed to be a reincarnation?"

"I don't know," Takumi shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. That's why we've got to talk to my uncle. If he killed Naraku originally, perhaps something was done to the remains...or something."

"Should we take Inuyasha?"

"Maybe. I'll call you in the morning. Go get some sleep, miko. I have the feeling we'll need it." Takumi kissed Kagome's forehead lightly, before pressing something into her hands.

"What's this?"

"The last part of your gift. It will help you against Naraku, should he attack you again." Kagome looked down at the tattered sword sheath in her hands. When she looked up, Takumi was gone. With a sigh, she headed inside, and upstairs. Inuyasha appeared to be asleep, so she curled up in her chair, and tried to make her confused mind sleep.

* * *

Kagome waited sleepily outside the shrine. Takumi had called early, telling her not to go anywhere without him. He also told her to bring all the gifts he had given her. She had asked about Inuyasha, but he told her not to wake him. 

"Hey miko," Takumi called out the window of the limo that pulled up. "Uncle S sent a nice ride." Kagome smiled, and waited as Takumi got out and held the door for her. The ride was long enough, but made longer by the lack of communication. Takumi seemed lost in thought and Kagome didn't want to bother him. She felt so muddled she didn't know what she would say anyway.

"We're here." Takumi broke her out of her thoughts, and together they got out of the car and stared at the giant office building. Then Takumi led her inside to the receptionist's desk.

"I have an appointment with my uncle," he said.

"Sure," the red head nodded. "You can head right up." Takumi turned towards the elevator, and Kagome followed quietly along. And once again, the ride felt much longer than it really was. But they made it, and stepped out into the posh office of the great Sesshoumaru.

"Hello, uncle!" Takumi called out.

"In here," the gruff voice replied from the balcony. The young couple followed the voice and stepped out to observe the world, just heading into the early morning frenzy. Kagome looked in awe at Takumi's uncle. The man looked somewhere in his forties, and was just starting to gain lines on his face, though his body was very thin. He had long white hair, and strange amber eyes. His lean face had odd tattoos, a wild childhood was the story. He normally wore white suits, and was always very aloof and quiet. He was missing an arm, from some sort of an accident.

"Good morning," Kagome politely said. There was a graceful nod, indicating she had been heard, but then attention was on Takumi.

"Your father said you had some questions for me."

"Yeah," Takumi took a deep breath. "It's rather strange actually. I asked him about the story of our family, you know, about Inuyasha and Kikyou. He told me a part he had never mentioned before, how the brother of Inuyasha killed an evil being named Naraku to prevent him from killing the pair. When I asked him about Naraku, he said I needed to talk to you." Both Kagome and Takumi looked questioningly at Sesshoumaru. The figure in question sighed.

"There is something you don't know about that story." Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome, directly looked at her, holding her grey eyes in with his intense amber gaze. "That is not a story. It actually happened. I know this because I was there. Inuyasha was my brother. I was the one who killed Naraku."

"What?" Takumi asked, but Kagome stared at the man.

"Do you know, Takumi, you look exactly like him on his human night? And the girl here, looks exactly like the miko he gave up his life for. I told him he was a fool for doing so, but he thought he loved the girl."

"He did love her," Takumi pressed.

"She did not love him," Sesshoumaru answered. "She did not love anyone but herself. She tricked him into becoming human so that she did not have to do something she hated. After they married, she treated him like...a dog." His face twisted at the term. "And Inuyasha let her, because he thought he loved her. Yet even so, when I heard about Naraku, I had to kill him."

"But you did kill him, right?" Kagome spoke for the first time since Sesshoumaru began his explanation. "You made certain he was dead?"

"There was no life in the body when I left it," Sesshoumaru said. "That does not mean he was dead. Devious demons are tricky."

"Naraku attacked me yesterday," Kagome said softly. Sesshoumaru whirled upon her.

"What did you say, girl?"

"Naraku attacked me yesterday. And the day before that," Takumi elbowed her hard, but she continued, "I found Inuyasha in the well on my family's shrine."

"Inuyasha is here...?" Sesshoumaru looked as though he couldn't breathe. "Impossible. I saw him dead."

"Because he was old, right?" Takumi suddenly felt this knowledge was very important.

"No." Sesshoumaru looked a little flustered, something that was unusual for him. "Strange things happened in that life time."

"What happened?" Kagome asked gently.

"It was as though there were...combined lives. My brother as a human, living with that miko, but then later, sometime after the baby, she was dead, and he was by the well, a hanyou again, and he had been murdered. And before that, I would see him once as a human, then as a hanyou. It was like there were two of them... I sacrificed my left arm so that I would seal the evil soul of Naraku. It must have been a lie." The very demon eyes of Sesshoumaru flashed red.

"That doesn't make sense," Takumi objected.

"You're too logical," Kagome told him. "Nothing about any of this makes sense."

"I need to talk to Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said. He gripped the balcony tightly. "There are things that he needs to know."

"I don't think you should," Kagome said.

"And why's that?"

"Because...I don't think he's really there. I mean, he is here, and there is a physical body, but I don't think he is really...here. There's just something wrong with...all of this."

"So he's here, but not really? Like, he could just vanish at any time?" Takumi raised his eyebrow at Kagome.

"Not that, I mean, he's here but he's not supposed to be. He was put here because something happened that should not have happened. He's here to fix something. Maybe it has to do with that jewel."

"The Shikon no Tama?" Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome, who nodded. "That disappeared when Inuyasha wished to be human. Although...I could have sworn I also saw a dead Kikyou being burned with it."

"Maybe you lived through two different timelines? One, with a happy outcome, and a second with...a not so happy outcome?" Takumi looked as though he expected contradiction, but Kagome nodded.

"Something happened with the time," she said slowly. "Someone...changed what was supposed to happen. Is that possible?" She looked at Sesshoumaru.

"There had always been rumors of a place where all the records of time were kept. If, at some point in time Naraku found this place, who knows what he might have done." Sesshoumaru suddenly looked alarmed. "You must go to Inuyasha. You must stay by his side. It is very important that he does not die by Naraku's hand here. If Naraku did do something, he must be trying to kill Inuysha somehow. You must not let that happen."

"Then we'd better go," Takumi said. He's already attacked both of us, no doubt he's looking to attack Inuyasha now." Kagome nodded, suddenly fearful.

"Go." The word was a command. "Takumi, call me when Naraku attacks." The boy nodded, and the pair left, headed for home.

"I don't understand," Sesshoumaru said softly. "It didn't make sense then, and it doesn't now. He was alive, but he was dead. I saw him dead. I told Jaken to bury him." As he pondered this line of thought, Sesshoumaru suddenly thought of one person who might be able to help him. He decided to leave, telling his receptionist he had important matters to attend to.

"But your meeting!" she called, watching his tall form enter the elevator. "Maybe the entrance girl will catch him," she muttered.

* * *

"Come and get me, Sesshoumaru," grinned the red eyed monster. He snarled at air, excited at the possibility of a good fight. "They seemed to have figured out my secret. But the same mystery that stumps them eludes me as well." Naraku sat by himself, his mind pondering the impossibilities caused by his own meddling.

* * *

Author's Notes: And so, Sesshoumaru is back in the picture! Updates only on Sundays, sorry kids, it appears I actually have a life, lol. 


	12. Chapter 12: The Third Attempt

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter Twelve**

_Inuyasha and Naraku: The Third Attempt_

Inuyasha woke up, lazily. He was aware of the slight ache of his body, despite the healed wounds. More than anything it was the ache in his left shoulder that caused him pain. Experimentally, Inuyasha sat up and stretched. He could move, albeit slowly, but his left arm felt useless. Blinking, he looked around the room.

Kagome was gone, as was her family. Judging by the light outside it was around noon. With a great sigh, Inuyasha heaved himself out of the bed, and struggled to what Kagome had called the bathroom. Once finished, he washed his hands as Kagome had showed him, and wandered back into the sleeping room. His nose twitched as his stomach rumbled. He eyed the giant pile of ramen in the corner of the room.

Five cups of ramen later, Inuyasha was starting to feel full. Thank goodness he had watched Kagome boil water. With these immediate needs satisfied, Inuyasha finally sat down in the chair Kagome usually frequented. It was surprisingly comfortable. Inuyasha bounced up and down a few times, before settling in. His mind began to wander.

Kikyou had died, he was sure of it. He had died; this he was also sure of. It seemed that, because of that, there was truth to Kagome's reincarnation theory. Inuyasha felt a pang of sadness thinking of Kikyou, and briefly wondered when he had gotten so emotional. Things were weird here. He had quickly opened up to Kagome, something that was unlike him. His emotions, normally only strong on his human nights, ran rampant. Plus he had that dull aching pain all throughout his body...

He wondered about the creature...Naraku, Kagome had said his name was. Surely there was a connection there? Had Kikyou been with another man? But this was a demon... Strangely then, Inuyasha thought of his brother. Had Sesshoumaru survived? Was he still here, even though humans had taken over? Another pang of sadness filled Inuyasha, and he felt irritated by it. Why should he care what happened to his brother anyway?

Standing up as quickly as possible, Inuyasha strode out of the room, down the stairs, and through the front door. He blinked in the sunlight before heading over to a tree he knew very well. A sad smile graced his face as he faced the God Tree.

"Feeling a bit glum, Inuyasha?" At the sound of the silky voice, Inuyasha spun around, albeit painfully. A well dressed man stood there, clothed in loose purple and black. Dark curly hair cascaded down his back. Most importantly, red eyes glowed from the pale face.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha hissed.

"Indeed," the man remarked, almost casually. "Thinking about Kikyou?"

"How did you know her?" Anger was starting to creep into Inuyasha, filling his mind.

"I know her better than you ever did." Naraku smirked at the effect that comment had on the hanyou before him.

"You killed us both!" Inuyasha snapped. "Why am I here?"

"For my own cruel desires," came the simple response. Before Inuyasha had time to react, tentacles burst from the ground, and Inuyasha had a very vivid image of what happened to him when he was killed.

"NO!" yelled Kagome, appearing running up the stairs to her shrine. Takumi was following, phoning his uncle. Naraku turned his red eyes upon them. His eyes narrowed as he saw Kagome fiddling with a bracelet she was wearing.

"Inuyasha, here!" Kagome ran straight into the fray, with Takumi shouting for her to stay back. Inuyasha dazedly watched her form run towards him, and he saw Naraku preparing to strike. She threw something at him just before the attack. Inuyasha caught it just as Naraku attacked her. Before he could even look at it, an enormous amount of energy shot through him and his hand started to glow. Within seconds, a battered sword appeared in his hand. And when he looked up, stunned, he saw Kagome almost crushed by Naraku. Takumi was rushing in with a sheath, attempting to drive back the creature. Without warning, the sword suddenly transformed, and Inuyasha gaped at the beautiful creation he now held.

"Would you attack him already!" Takumi shouted out, startling Inuyasha out of his daze. The hanyou leapt up.

"Prepare to die, Naraku," he snarled. Swinging the sword wildly, he attacked, against the protest of his aching body. Hacking away at the tentacles, all three watched in shock as Naraku regenerated himself.

"What now?" Inuyasha asked.

"I don't know," Takumi whispered. "I hope my uncle gets here soon."

"You told someone to come?" Inuyasha snapped.

"I think you might know him well," Takumi suggested, a gleam in his eye.

"I just hope he gets here soon," Kagome interrupted, disturbed by watching Takumi and Inuyasha acting so alike.

"Speak of the devil," a smooth voice interrupted. A flash of white shot by, attacking Naraku. Inuyasha watched in a daze, recognizing his brother. He couldn't figure out what his brother was doing, however. As far as he remembered, Sesshoumaru had never once tried to protect him. He mentally added it as one of those strange things that went on here.

"Go Sesshoumaru!" Kagome cheered, not noticing the dirty look Inuyasha gave her. Sesshoumaru really was defeating Naraku, who was wasting fighting time by regenerating. Finally the red eyed beast seemed to have enough.

"Don't worry, I'll be back to finish you off!" And then he simply seemed to vanish. Shesshoumaru turned towards the three beings facing him, but his red-laced eyes only looked at one.

"Hello little brother."

* * *

Author's Notes: And so, the brothers meet! Hehehe, what _will_ Inuyasha do now? 


End file.
